Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has drawn up a new two-man shortlist of replacements for Lewis Hamilton as a backup for if Max Verstappen decides to stay at Red Bull in 2025.
The Silver Arrows are still pushing to convince Verstappen to break out of his contract at Red Bull. He is locked down in Milton Keynes through the 2028 Formula 1 season. But Wolff sees the three-time reigning drivers’ champion as Mercedes’ best candidate to replace Hamilton.
Wolff is in the market for Hamilton’s replacement after the seven-time champion broke out of his contract. The 39-year-old triggered his release clause to switch Brackley for Maranello and join Ferrari with a multi-year contract as Carlos Sainz’s successor after the 2024 season.
Toto Wolff marks Esteban Ocon as Mercedes’ Plan-B replacement for Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes are not rushing to replace Hamilton, who has been in Brackley since 2013, as they strive to land the best teammate for George Russell. The internal fight for power at Red Bull between the ownership and Christian Horner also encourages Wolff to push for Verstappen.
That is according to the Express, which reports that Wolff sees Verstappen as Mercedes’ top candidate to replace Hamilton. The Silver Arrows’ team principal is also trying to utilise Red Bull and Horner’s bickering to convince the 26-year-old to swap Milton Keynes for Brackley.
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But if Verstappen turns Mercedes down, Wolff will not turn to Sebastian Vettel for the drive. The Silver Arrows have turned Vettel down despite the four-time champion’s desire to make a comeback. The 36-year-old is itching to race in Formula 1 again after only two years away.
Instead, Wolff has identified Alpine driver Esteban Ocon and Mercedes protégé Andrea Kimi Antonelli as their two Plan-B options to replace Hamilton. Wolff is also still Ocon’s manager, while the 27-year-old was on Mercedes’ junior driver programme between 2015 and 2020.
Esteban Ocon could offer an experienced race-winning alternative to Max Verstappen
Mercedes helped Ocon break into F1 with Manor in 2016 before racing for Force India from 2017 to 2019. The Frenchman then spent a year as the Silver Arrows’ reserve driver. Renault gave Ocon a way back to F1 in 2020 and he won the 2021 Hungarian GP for them as Alpine.
But Ocon could return to Mercedes to replace Hamilton as the 27-year-old is out of contract at Alpine after 2024. He would offer Wolff an experienced option who knows the team well. Ocon has also shown he can lead Alpine during a very difficult period for the team this year.
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Former F1 star David Coulthard praised Ocon for his leadership at the 2024 Bahrain GP after Alpine locked out the back row of the grid in qualifying. Coulthard admired Ocon for saying over Alpine’s team radio, ‘We keep going and we keep pushing’ and ‘I got faith in you guys’.
“Wonderful bit of leadership there from Ocon,” Coulthard said on Channel 4’s commentary, via quotes by Sportskeeda. “All credit for being mature enough to see that there is a bigger picture here.”
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